LSTA Support for New Archive

July 02, 2018

The State Library of Oregon has awarded Lewis & Clark a $30,100 competitive grant in support of the first year of a multi-year project entitled “Vietnamese Portland: Memory, History, Community”. Supported with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), this project will be led by Dr. Hannah Crummé, Head of Watzek Library Special Collections and College Archivist. Funding will allow Dr. Crummé and her team to develop an archive documenting the experiences of Vietnamese-Americans in Portland; this community comprises 2% of Portland’s population, yet its history is mostly undocumented. This important project will work closely with the local Vietnamese community to collect oral histories, records, photographs, and ephemera in an effort to understand the complex urban landscape of Portland and to record the diverse histories of first generation Vietnamese immigrants. The digital and physical collection will be added to Lewis & Clark’s Special Collections and Archives. Beyond serving as a valuable resource for those studying migration, integration, and historical memory, the repository will document an otherwise unrepresented history, create learning opportunities, and inform a more inclusive attitude towards historical research.

It is worth noting that this is the College’s third competitive LSTA grant, the first two (2009 and 2010, respectively), were awarded in support of the Library’s Oregon Poetic Voices project.